Full-toss salad, speed-guns and lookalikes

Javed Miandad fears that Sourav Ganguly's comments about Shoaib Akhtar's bowling action could create tension between the two sides. An article in the Daily Times quotes Miandad as saying, "I would advise both team captains to avoid giving such contentious statements as it can create ill-feelings and spoil the mood of the series."

Miandad was in no doubt that Ganguly's statement was a psychological ploy to unnerve his leading bowler. "I look at Ganguly's comments as a way to put pressure on Shoaib, but we've told him to bowl flat out and not worry about such things."

Shoaib is regarded as the world's fastest bowler and has been clocked at over 100mph (160.9kph). He has picked up six wickets in the series so far. Miandad concluded: "I think matters such as anyone's bowling action should be left to the umpires and match referee to look into."

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Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, is not in favour of holding India-Pakistan clashes often in the future. Speaking to Sunday Mid Day, the former diplomat-turned-cricket administrator said that having frequent clashes would "debase" the importance of renewed cricket ties between the two countries.

"I am against playing each other too much. I am against Sharjah, Kenya and Singapore," he said at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday. "We shouldn't play each other too much. We should play each other maybe every year, but more than that, in principle, I am against."

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The Hindu goes in search of culinary delights, and finds them at the Holiday Inn in Lahore. With cricket-crazy Indians having come over in their thousands, the menu at the Lahore Gate restaurant is heavily influenced by the game.

You can choose from Sweep of the Day (soup), Full-toss Salad, Fish and slip (deep-fried fish with French fries), Curry in Gully (chicken curry served with rice or bread), Deep Fine Chicken Breast (deep fried chicken breast), Run in a Bun (chickenor beef-burger), Off Swinger (crisp and spicy chicken sandwich), Googly Tutti-Fruity (ice cream), and Stumped-out Banana. Whether it's the right diet for cricketers is another thing altogether.

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The Daily Times also finds space for the speed-gun readings from the Peshawar game, which showed Mohammad Sami breaking the 100mph barrier. Only Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee had been timed at that pace in an ODI before, clocking 100.2mph during last year's World Cup. England's Nick Knight was on the receiving end of both those 100mph thunderbolts.

An executive of the TV company beaming the matches conceded that errors were possible in the reading of speed-guns, even though the Australian company that makes them guarantees 98% accuracy.

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Dawn has a story on the Shoaib Akhtar lookalike who has Lucknow in a tizzy. Shamsuddin, 22, runs a meat shop in Lucknow's main market, and was initially taken aback at the unexpected adulation. Cricket-crazy fans mobbing him for autographs became a regular occurrence.

"I like people when people say that I look like Shoaib Akhtar," says Shamsuddin. "When I first saw Shoaib Akhtar on TV, I could not believe my eyes. When schoolchildren call me Shoaib Akhtar, I also wave back."

Lucknow residents say that the similarity is striking. "His resemblance to Shoaib Akhtar is amazing. Especially, the way he runs up to bowl," said Vikas Mehta, a local. Whether he ever clocks 100mph remains to be seen.